Process of lacquering bedsteads.



w. w. VINCENT. PROCESS OF LAOQUERING BEDSTEADS.

APPL IOATXON FILED MAY B2, 1908.

Patented Jan. 5, 1909.

Z/AZAW Z/ W ILLIAM W. VINCENT, OI KENOSHA, WISCONSIN.

PROCESS OF LAUQUERIN'G BEDSTEADS.

lie. aos,e11.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 6, 1909.

Application filed May 22, 1908. Serial No. 434,862.

To all whom it may concern-.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM W. VIN- CENT, a citizen of the United States, residin at Kenosha, in the county of Kenosha an 'State of Wisconsin, did invent certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Lacquering Bedsteads, of which the following is a specification. Heretofore it has been usual and customary to lacquer brass bedsteads by the employment and use of what is known as American lacquer. Such lacquer is ap lied cold to the burnished metal with a brus and but a single coat can be-used because asec'ond overlying or intended super osed coat cuts and? softens the first, where; y the latter is wiqed ofi' by'the brush and but a single coat or ayer remains. This lacquer, which is of cream or honey consistency, is composed plj'incipally of gun cotton, amylacetate, and as] oil, but contains also shellacand other gums. Although this American lac uer before it is applied is com aratively t ick, as indicated above, yet, Wiienit has dried on the metal, the protective coating which it leaves is verv thin and is not durable, hard, or lastin erely the daily contact of the bedclot ling with these lacquered rods or posts, as when the clothes are thrown over the foot of the bed, soon wears the lacquer ofl, and, unless the relacquering is done at once, the brass tarnishes, causing the most conspicuous part of the bedstead to become the most unsightly. Not infrequently the moisture of the air will detrimentally affect this protective veneer, causing it to peel off. Under ordinary circumstances, bedsteads coated with this American lacquer will in from one to three years require taking apart,

4 crating, and ship ing to some place where they? may be repo ished and relacquered, at an'expense of from $3.00 to 512.00 per bed, only to require relacquering again "at the ex iration of another like period of time. It is almost needless to mention what is apparent, namely, that during such handling of the bedstead in crating, carting, etc, there is considerable danger of denting or ncurring the parts thereof, requiring aciditiohal expense in removing or attempting to etfacefthe same. Another disadvantage is that the quality of American lacquer is quite variable and unreliable, its inferior characteristics generally only becoming apparent after the bedstead has been sold and used. As stated above, this is the lacquer that has been in general use on bedsteads of the character indicated, and, were it possible to apply a number of overlying or su er osed coats of the same, the .finished lie stead would still be objectionable, because such lacquer ,does not possess the necessary hardness and wearing qualities to successfull' and satisfactorily withstand repeated hand ling of the bedstead and thefrlction due to drawing or dragging the bed clothes over the same. This -American lac uer is especially unadapted for use on Y rass bedsteads with a satin or dull finish produced by supplying the surface thereof with a multitude of small scratches, thereby providing many slight elevations and depressions. Such a thin coat of lacquer would fill the small depressions or recesses, but would barely cover the higher arts.

It has been understoo for some time that what is known as English lacquer, which is made of a harder gum (shellac) and pure grain alcohol, will stand the wear to which a lac uered bedstead is subjected, but, owing to t e fact that the laquer is thinner (the alcohol being incapable of dissolving more than a limited amount of shellac) than the Ameri can lacquer, and a single coat or layer is quite thin, it is necessary to apply several coats. This English lac uer, however, has heretofore been used 0 y toacoiiaparatively slight extent, due to the practically prohibitive expcnse of applying the necessary number; of coats. Cou brushed on cold, one on top of the otherpthe difliculty would be easilv solved, but in order not to permit the alcohol of one coat as it is apolied to cut and soften the um ofthe uncle iying coat or coats, the alco 01 must be evaporated instantly and immediately, otherwise the softened under or lower layers are wiped off by the brush applying the later or outer coat. In carrying out this rocess so as to quickly evaporate the alcoho and build up a transparent veneer of sufficient and ade uate thickness, it has been usual to heat each rass tube in an oven, remove it hastily, apply or brush on a coat of lacquer with great rapidity, and then return the tube to the oven for another heating of from ten to thirty minutes before the next coat could be applied. The tubes used in brass bedsteads are quite d these coats or lay s=- be,

' t e workman and thin and have large radiating surfaces relative to their volumes, so that they can retain laqt comparatively little heat and cool rap- 1 y. tube is heated so as to quickly drive off or evaporate the alcohol of the lacquer'before it can act on the other coats of gum veneer, and the alcohol on the other hand through its rapid volatilization quickly cools the heated tu e to a tem erature at which it is imp0ssible to the coating without cutting or W1 mg oh the under layers. Consequently, t e workmen must act very rapidly, with the resulting likelihood of doing defective and imperfect work. As far as this process has been used it has been customary to apply from three to six coats of lacquer; with t e corresponding number of reheatings of from ten to thirty minutes each. Obviously, it required ordinarily from one hour to an hour and a half to finish a tube, depending, of course, on the size of tube I and number periods of beatings. It should be noted that arge ovens are required, that the work tables must be placed close to the ovens so that little heat will be lost during the transportation of the tube to the table, that the tube has to be heatedhotter (340-350 deprocee with grees Fahrenheit) than is really necessary to ulckly evaporate the alcohol in order that may cover it with one coat before its tem nature has decreased sufiiciently to prevent liirther coatin without reheating, t t owing to such overheating the color of the lacquer is considerably and detrimentally darkened, that great care needs to be excrcised to have all parts of the bedstead of the same or even color, that experienced and very careful workmen only can be, used for suc work, that if a tube accidentally comes in contact with a portion of the oven a disfiguring brown spot is caused, that the temerature of the oven must be carefully reguated otherwise the lacquer is burned and darkened, that each tube must stay in the oven a givenperiod and no longer otherwise the lacquer is injuriously ailected and a sin-V gle tube may display several colors ofylacquer, that great care needs to be taken in handling the tubes so as not to damage them or their lacquers, and that in a large plant much floor space the numerous ovens and work tables. From the above the reason Why this process has been but comparatively little used, even though the finished product is in demand, is made apparent. To overcome the defects of this recess, to reduce the cost of using Engacquer, and generally to improve the method of applying the same, I have invented a process y the employment of which a brass tube ma be provided with lacquer of several coats t ickness in less than a minute in contrast to the many minutes or hour or more required by the old process, by the use As will be readily understood, the

is needed to accommodate.

of which only one-fifth of the usual floor space/is required, and by the adoption of which a remarkable saving in the cost of coating or lacquering bedsteads is attained.

y invention contemplates the heating of a brass tube or otherbuifed or burnished mc tallic piece during the application of the lacquer, the lacquering being a continuous process, and there being no cooling or reheatmg of the tube. In ot er words, the cooling action of thealcohol is neutralized and counteracted by the coating operation. Preferably the tube is heated by passing a current of electricity directly therethrough, the latter being of such strengthas to maintain the heat or temperature of the tube substantially constant in opposition to the cooling action of the evaporating alcohol. Desirably the tube or other piece is rotatably mounted during the heating thereof, so that the operator can brush on the lacquer as the tube is turned until the successive coats are of the desired or sufficient thickness. \Vhen m method or process is employed the tube nee not ordinarily be heated above 212 to 240 degrees Fahrenheit, so that no heat is wasted as by the oven reheating method, nor is the color of the lacquer changed by the heat as by the other process which makes the lacquer look thicker than it really is. Bymy im r'oved scheme the operator places the bufl'e brass tube ,or tube with satin finish in the lathelike appliance by means of which my new process may be conveniently carried out, brings the same into firm contact withthe electrodes, turns on the current of electricity, wipes the tube free from dust during its rise in temperature, turns the tube eitherb hand or power while brushing on the severa coats of lacquer, removes the tube and places it in a suitable rack. the whole lacquermg process requiring from forty-five seconds to two minutes. The heat is applied at substantially the same rate as the tendency of the tube to cool, and the electric current may be controlled either by a rheostat or by opening and closing a controlling switch. By using my improved process all unnecessary handling of the tube'is avoided, the likliliood of the occurrence of poor workmanship is greatly reduced because it is not necessa to apply the lacquer as rapidly as by the 0 d process, there is an entire avoidance of unnatural discoloration of the lacquer, and an avoidance of varying colors of different parts of .the same bed finished by the same or different workmen, a minimum amount of floor ace isused, the lacquer is smoother than that produced by the old method, there is-practically no likelihood of damaging the tube while being coated, the lacquering is even over the entire thbe, and the reduction in cost is great. bringing the useof the hard, durable English lacquer within the means of applying heat to the tube during all who heretofore have had to be satisfied with the inferior, unsatisfactory and unreliable American lacquer.

On the accompanying drawings 1 have illustrated adesirable form of machine which may be employed in carrying out my improved process.

On these drawings,-Figure 1 is a fragmentarv elevation partly in section of a lathe-like structure suitable foruse in carrying out my improved lacquering' process; Fig. 2 is aplan view of the structure shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section on line 33 of Fig. 1, as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows.

On a suitable bed or base 10 is mounted a head bearing 11, rotatable in which is a shaft 12 having secured to its inner end a manually-operative handle or wheel 13 and a tube-holding sleeve or head 14. A driving pulley 15 connected to anysuitable source of power by a belt 16 is mounted on the outer end of the shaft 12, to which it may be cou pled and from which it may be uncoupled by in: nsof a'clutch l7supplied with an operat ing hi'indle 18. On the elongated bed or base 10 I also mount a movable tail stock 19, in the up .r portion of which and in alinement with t c axis of shaft 12 is secured a tubesupporting member 20 having a conical tubereceiving mouth, as does the sleeve 14, and a centrall -disposed pin or projection 21 upon which t e tube is adapted to drop and be suprted when the tail stock is moved rearwardly to a slight extent. A rack 22 is supplied on the upper surface of the bed or base 10, and cooperating with the teeth of this rack is a gear 23 mounted internally of the tail stock 19 on the inner end of a transverse shaft 24, whose outer end is provided with an operatingwheel or handle 25. As is obvious, by rotating shaft 24 and gear 23 by means of handle 25 the tail stock and the tube-support 20 may be made to travel longitudinally of the base of themachine, permitting the inser tion or withdrawal of a tube between the members 14 and 20.

The tail stock 1.9 is insulated from the me tallic bed 10 by strips of insulation 26 and 27 while the racl; 22 is similarly insulated by the body of insulation 38. On one face of the bed '10 l provide a copper strip or ilectrical conductor 29 suitably insulated from the base or bed. and cooperating with which and adapted to slide on its surface is a metallic brush 30 of the usual construction, electrically connected to the tail stock 19. Brushes 31 mounted on the machine contact with the sleeve or tube h lding member A and make electrical ronncctiou therewith. Any suitsourre of elrctric current either direct or alter-marina it: is connected by the conductors 33 and 34 to the electrodes 31 and 30, 1'1 s ectively. it will be obvious, therefore, that if a conducting connection is made hetween the arts 14 and 20 the electrical current from t 1e generator will pass through and heat the same. In order that the tail stock may be prevented from moving away from the head stock ofthe machine. I vide a ratchet 35 on the shaft 24 or hand 25, cooperating with which is a manually-actuated pawl 36 mounted on the tail stoc My improved process is carried out substantially as follows: The brass tube 37 to be coated orlacquered is laced between the elec trode supports 14 am 20, and by turning the handle 25 the support 20 is moved toward the head stock so that the tube is firmly held between the two parts. During this inward traveling: of the tail stock, the pawl 36 riding on the teeth of the ratchet prevents backward turning of the same. A switch 38 in the electrical circuit is then closed so that the current of electricity passes through the brass tube. During this rise in temperature under the influence of this current, the operator wipes the tube free from dust, the tube reaching the pro er temperature in a very few seconds. Tie cylindrical heated portions of the tube are then coated with the lacquer by drawing the brush lengthwise the tube and turning the latter manually by the handle 13, this operation being continued until a sufficient number of overlying coats or layers have been ap lied to provide a protective veneer of the desired thickness. As has been indicated above, during this application of the lacquer the tendency of the tube to cool rapidly, due to its large radiating surface and to the evaporation. of the alcohol, is counteracted by the steady and constant application of heat thereto by the electricity passed directly therethrough. This current of electricity is so regulated by the operator that the temperature of the tube remains sulistantially constant and unvarving during the application of the lacquer. In order to coat portions of irregular shape, such as the enlargement or boss 39, the operator throws the clutch handle 18 so that the shaft and tube will be rotated by power derived through the belt 16, the brushing then being done transversely to the axis of the tube so that the lacquer maybe applied more evenly. hen the coating operation has been com pleted, the'operator opens the switch 38, releases the pawl 36 from the ratchet, and turns the handle 25 so as to move the tail stock outwardly sutliciently to free the tube, whereupon the same is readily taken from the machine and permitted to cool.

Although l have shown one form of device which is adapted for. use in connection with the employment of my improved method of lacquer-ins, it is to be understood that the process is no wise limited to this particular form or style of mechanisnji.

Whereas l have described this invention in relation to the use of lacquer, it is to be understood that the same process may be alvan'tagmusly empl yed in connection with various other lcin s of coating materialsv l claim:

The method of lacquering a tarnishal'ile metal piece which consists in heating said piece by generating the heat in the metal of which said piece is composed, applying thereto while thus heated overlying or superposed coats of lacquer with sai piece exposed to permit evaporation of the volatile constituent of the lacquer, maintaining the temperature of said piece during such coating operation at a suilicient degree to evaporate the volatile constituent of the lacquer as it is applied, thereby preventing the cutting or softening of the underlying coat or treats, but not at a high enough degree to injure the lacquer, and permitting said piece to cool, substantially as described.

2. The method of lacquering a tarnishable metal piece which consists in heating sa'id piece by means of electricity, applying thereto while thus heated overl ing or superposed coats of lacquer with said piece exposed to permit evaporation ofthe volatile constituent of the lacquer, maintaining the tempera ture of said piece during such coating operation at a sufficient degree to evaporate the volatile constituent of the lac uer as it is applied, thereby preventing t is cutting or softening of the underlying coat or coats, but not at a high enough degree to injure the lacquer, and permitting said piece to cool, substantially as described.

3. The method'of lacquering a tarnishable metal piece which consists in passing a current of electricity through said piece to heat the same, applying-thereto While thus heated overlying or superposed coats of lacquer with said piece exposed to permit evaporation of the volatile constituent of the lacquer, maintaining. the temperature of said piece during such coating operation at a sufficient degree to evaporate the volatile constituent of the lacquer as it is applied, thereby preventing the cutting or softening of the underlying coat or coats, but not at a high enough degree to injure the lacquer, and permitting said piece to cool, substantially as described.

The method of lacqucring a tarnishable metal piece which consists in passing a current oi electricity through said piece to heat the same, rotating said piece, applying thereto While thus heated and during its rotation overlying or superposed coats of lacquer with said piece exposed to permit evaporation of the volatile constituent of the lacquer, maintaining the temperature of said piece during such coating operation at a sullicient degree to evaporate the volatile constituent of the lacquer as it is applied, thereby preventing the cutting or softening of the underlying coat or coats, but not at a high enough degree to injure the lacquer, and permitting said piece to cool, substantially as described.

5. The method of coating a tarnishable metal piece which consists in heating said piece by generating the heat in the metal of which said piece is composed, applying thereto While thus heated overlying or superposed coats of protective material with said piece exposed to permit evaporation of the volatile constituent of said material, maintaining the temperature of said piece during such coating operation at a suflicient degree to evaporate the volatile constituent of the coating material as it is applied, thereby preventing the cutting or softening of the underlying coat or coats, but not at a high enough degree to injure the coating, and permitting said piece to cool, substantially as described.

6. The method of lacquering a tarnishable metal piece which consists in heating said piece by electricity and applving thereto while thus heated a coating of ac uer, said piece. during the application of S&i( coating being exposed to permit evaporation of the volatile constituent of the lacrpier, substantially as described.

WILLIAM W. Vl UENT.

Witnesses Gus JACOB, J. H. CANTWELL, Jr. 

